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Cybersecurity · head to head

IDnow vs Restate

IDnow logo

IDnow

Cybersecurity

Identity verification and qualified electronic signature for regulated European markets

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Restate logo

Restate

Developer Tools

Durable execution engine in Rust with a free tier and low-latency workflows

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Restate has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: IDnow agent-led video identification costs several times an automated check and depends on agent availability, so peak-time queues push abandonment up at exactly the moment conversion matters.; Restate the runtime is under a Business Source Licence rather than an open source licence, so building a competing managed offering on it is prohibited and some procurement functions will reject it on licence grounds alone.
  • They diverge on capability: IDnow covers VideoIdent, Restate covers Durable execution.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which IDnow and Restate actually diverge.

Attributes where IDnow and Restate differ
AttributeIDnowRestate
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotePer month by durable action count
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, APILinux, macOS, Web
CategoryCybersecurityDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in IDnow

  • VideoIdent
  • AutoIdent
  • eSign
  • eID and NFC
  • Bank identification
  • EU data processing

Only in Restate

  • Durable execution
  • Virtual objects
  • Single binary runtime
  • Multi-language SDKs
  • Workflows and sagas
  • Restate Cloud

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

IDnow

  • A German bank opening regulated accounts where BaFin requires a recognised identification methodnot Restate
  • An insurer needing a qualified electronic signature that will survive challenge in a European courtnot Restate
  • A telecom operator meeting national SIM registration identity rules across several EU statesnot Restate
  • A lender wanting automated checks for low-risk applicants and video identification only for high-value casesnot Restate

Restate

  • Payment or order flows where a crash between two external API calls must not double-charge or lose the ordernot IDnow
  • AI agent loops that call tools over minutes or hours and must survive a deployment mid-runnot IDnow
  • Replacing hand-rolled retry, idempotency key and outbox code across a set of microservicesnot IDnow
  • A small team that wants durable workflows without operating a Temporal cluster and its databasenot IDnow

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

IDnow

  • Agent-led video identification costs several times an automated check and depends on agent availability, so peak-time queues push abandonment up at exactly the moment conversion matters.
  • Pricing is quoted with an annual volume commitment, so the accreditation advantage comes with a floor you pay whether or not you use it.
  • The product is optimised for European regulatory regimes, so buyers verifying users in North America, Asia or Africa will find coverage and cost less competitive than global specialists.
  • Qualified electronic signature is a separate licence from identity verification, which surprises buyers who assumed the accredited identity check made the signature capability included.
  • Integration for the regulated flows is heavier than a simple SDK drop-in because the compliant journey, including consent and recording requirements, constrains the user experience you can build.

Restate

  • The runtime is under a Business Source Licence rather than an open source licence, so building a competing managed offering on it is prohibited and some procurement functions will reject it on licence grounds alone.
  • Restate Cloud jumps from a free fifty thousand actions straight to 300 US dollars a month for twenty million, so a workload sitting at a few hundred thousand actions pays enterprise-shaped money for hobby-shaped volume.
  • It is a young project against Temporal’s established base, so hiring engineers who already know it is unrealistic and the answer to most questions is in the docs rather than on Stack Overflow.
  • The programming model requires structuring code around durable handlers and virtual objects, which is a genuine rewrite for existing services rather than a library you add.
  • The single-binary simplicity that makes small deployments cheap also means fewer operational knobs at very large scale than a system designed as separable components.

Pricing, plan by plan

IDnow

On request
  • IDnow Platform$undefined/year
    • Per-identification pricing that differs sharply between automated and agent-led methods
    • Annual volume commitment typically required
    • Qualified electronic signature licensed separately

Restate

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Fifty thousand durable actions per month
    • No credit card required
    • Community support
  • Starter$300/month
    • Twenty million actions per month
    • Two hundred actions per second, bursting to one thousand
    • Twenty GB storage
  • Pro$1000/month
    • Fifty million actions per month
    • Five hundred actions per second, bursting to two thousand
    • Fifty GB storage
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Negotiated volume
    • Twenty-four seven P0 support
    • 99.99 per cent SLA

Which should you pick?

Choose IDnow if

  • You need videoident.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
  • You also want autoident.
IDnow review

Choose Restate if

  • You need durable execution.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Web.
  • You also want virtual objects.
Restate review

Questions people ask

Is IDnow or Restate better?
Neither clearly leads. IDnow starts at On request and Restate at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, IDnow or Restate?
Restate has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for IDnow and Free for Restate.
Does IDnow or Restate run on more platforms?
IDnow runs on Web, iOS, Android, API. Restate runs on Linux, macOS, Web.
Can I use Restate for free?
Yes. Restate has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. IDnow starts at On request.
What is IDnow best used for?
IDnow is most often used for a german bank opening regulated accounts where bafin requires a recognised identification method, an insurer needing a qualified electronic signature that will survive challenge in a european court, a telecom operator meeting national sim registration identity rules across several eu states, a lender wanting automated checks for low-risk applicants and video identification only for high-value cases. Of those, a german bank opening regulated accounts where bafin requires a recognised identification method and an insurer needing a qualified electronic signature that will survive challenge in a european court are not what Restate is typically brought in for.
What can IDnow do that Restate cannot?
IDnow covers VideoIdent, AutoIdent, eSign, eID and NFC. Restate covers Durable execution, Virtual objects, Single binary runtime, Multi-language SDKs.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

IDnow: Why choose it over a cheaper automated vendor?

Because in some European regimes the cheaper vendor is not legally permitted for the transaction. This is an eligibility question, not a quality one.

Restate: Is Restate open source?

The SDKs are MIT. The runtime is under a Business Source Licence, which permits self-hosting but not offering it as a competing service.

IDnow: Is the electronic signature included?

No. Qualified electronic signature under eIDAS is licensed separately from identity verification.

Restate: How does it compare with Temporal?

Same problem, different shape: one Rust binary with embedded storage instead of a server plus database plus workers, and lower per-step latency.

IDnow: Where is the data processed?

In European data centres, which is a requirement rather than a preference for many of its regulated customers.

Restate: Is there a free tier?

Yes, fifty thousand durable actions a month on Restate Cloud with no card required.

Restate: Which languages are supported?

TypeScript, Java, Kotlin, Go, Python and Rust.

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